San Juan Football Preview 2023

SAN JUAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW

YOUR GUIDE TO THE SEASON: GAME PREVIEWS, KEY PLAYERS AND MORE!

NEW BEGINNINGS, STRONG RETURNERS BLAZE TRAIL FOR CITY’S HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAMS

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

We’ve gone 100 yards and back again, and Friday Night Lights are back on the horizon. It’s time for the annual San Juan Capistrano High School Football Preview.

Back on Ortega Highway, St. Margaret’s is also under new management with the hiring of head coach Dan O’Shea from Corona del Mar. The Tartans have experienced leaders in quarterback Max Ruff and linebacker Battle Gideons, and O’Shea will lean on that experienced group to get a strong start on what he hopes is a long, successful season for St.

Capistrano Valley Christian had an electric regular-season campaign, but a tight loss in the opening round of the playoffs fuels the Eagles’ fire into 2023. CVC has impact returners at its skill positions and strong and hungry returners on the defensive line. The Eagles are building for beyond October.

Three teams get their chance to make an impact next week in their season openers on San Juan Hills welcomes in Oceanside for its Week 0 opener, and the Stallions will surely be ready to wipe away back-to-back, 0-6 and 0-7 starts from their ledger.

JSerra will travel north to Sierra Canyon in a series that’s seen the two programs meet three times over the past two seasons. The Lions won at home last year and will look to win their first game at Sierra Canyon. St. Margaret’s opens at home against Ontario Christian, and the Tartans will be looking to avenge a 35-7 road loss from last season’s opener and avoid another season-opening

Capistrano Valley Christian is the only city team that will have to wait, but the Eagles will get going early in Week 1 with a home date on Thursday, Aug. 24, against Calvary Chapel at

Flip through each of our season previews for San Juan Capistrano’s four high school football teams, and put on the pads for another stellar season of South Orange County

SAN JUAN HILLS LOOKS TO FLEX PLAYMAKING, VETERAN MUSCLE

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

On the heels of a 4-8 season that saw San Juan Hills take home the Sea View League Championship after losing every non-league game, Stallions head coach Rob Frith foresees a big year ahead.

While fond of each team he’s coached in the Badlands over the past five years, Frith is particularly excited to hit that time in the cycle when a formerly green group of players comes of age.

“I’ve got a group where we have a lot of kids with a lot of experience now,” he said. “This should be the breakout year, if we work hard (and) do the right things.”

The return of the reigning Sea View League offensive and defensive MVPs in senior running back Sullivan Land and senior linebacker Jake Javorsky should help immeasurably. Land, Javorsky, and coveted junior linebacker prospect Weston Port all earned All CIF-SS Division 6 distinctions during the 2022 season.

Combine that with the talented receiving duo of Colton Chase and Chris Williams and the mammoth-sized, 6-foot-7, 310-pound offensive lineman Trevor Newkirk, and the Stallions seem poised to improve upon just three regular-season wins in each of their past two campaigns.

Frith described all of the aforementioned players as good leaders and people overall.

“I list all those guys, because they’re all impact players,” he said. “They’ve played enough, they’ve had enough reps. Some of these kids (have played) over 20 games of varsity football.”

The stability of San Juan Hills’ coaching staff should serve as another boost, as the only major offseason change was freshman offensive coordinator Brad Curtis’ promotion to the varsity level.

Fundamentally, the offensive system remains the same. However, there may be some growing pains as sophomore quarterbacks Timmy Herr and Tristan Zale battle for the starting spot in the wake of Michael “Butter” Tollefson’s transfer to JSerra.

Frith said the competition is wide open, and the coaching staff is “open for anything,” including operating with two quarterbacks into the season.

“Sometimes, guys say, ‘If you have two (quarterbacks), you don’t have one,’ ” he said. “I don’t believe that.”

While both players have a solid understanding of the offense, Herr, who transferred from Mater Dei in January, brings a physical running

element to the system and Zale a big arm. In the meantime, the offense will go through Sullivan Land, according to Frith, as the head coach trusts the senior’s experience, as well as the returning offensive linemen.

Land said he put his efforts into building muscle before the season, as running backs have less to do during the 7-on-7 tournament cycle than other skill players. His goal is for the team to achieve more than a second-round CIF playoff appearance.

“It’s my last season; I want to end on a win,” Land said, adding that he desires to win the Sea View League again for the second straight year.

For Jake Javorsky, the junior linebacker spoke of competing and dominating with a team that he felt figured it out toward the end of 2022. Personally, he looks to track the ball and know better where to go based on his assignments.

Frith spoke glowingly of Javorsky’s ability to run and his physicality, which led the head coach to designate his linebackers as his favorite position group between Javorsky and Weston Port.

“(Other Sea View League coaches) said they really had no way to know where No. 44 was all the time, because he’s always around the football,” said Frith. “He’s got a great football IQ, which allows him to find the football.”

Port is a “brute” who is hard to block, Frith added. The junior already has 33 Division 1 college offers from schools including Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan and BYU, among others.

With eight returning starters on defense and six on offense, the Stallions should have the experience to weather a non-league schedule that features recurring 2022 foes El Modena of Orange and archrival Tesoro.

Oceanside comes to the Badlands for the first game of the year on Aug. 18. San Juan Hills also hosts Newport Harbor and Tesoro before

SAN JUAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE

AUGUST 18

OCEANSIDE

SJHHS, 7 p.m.

•••

AUGUST 26

CALIFORNIA (SAN RAMON)

Moorpark HS, 2 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 1

SANTIAGO (CORONA)

Santiago HS, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 8

NEWPORT HARBOR

SJHHS, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 15

MIRA COSTA

Mira Costa HS, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 21

EL MODENA

El Modena HS, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 29

league play begins.

Frith expressed the need to start the season on the right foot against Oceanside, which was winless in 2022, and to beat Tesoro. Newport Harbor presents a different test, however, as a “well-coached” team that went 8-5 last year and lost by three points in the CIF-SS Division 4 semifinal.

“I feel that’s a program that’s on the rise,” said Frith. “I know they picked up a couple of players in the offseason that are very good. For me, that’s a game you have (circled) on your calendar.”

Despite the Stallions’ non-league struggles in 2022, they blew away their Sea View League competition, defeating El Toro, Trabuco Hills, and Aliso Viejo by an average of 26 points. San Juan Hills looks to compete well into November.

TESORO

SJHHS, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 13

EL TORO*

SJHHS, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 20

TRABUCO HILLS*

SJHHS, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 27

ALISO NIGUEL*

Aliso Niguel HS, 7 p.m.

*Sea View League game

San Juan Hills football seeks to make a further playoff push on the backs of reigning offensive league MVP Sullivan Land and two star linebackers. Photo: Zach Cavanagh

JSERRA SWINGS FOR HIGH STANDARD UNDER NEW COACH SANTA CRUZ

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

New JSerra football head coach

Victor Santa Cruz isn’t shying away from “the best league there is in the United States” in the Trinity League.

“It’s like the old golf adage. What’s the course record, and where’s the first tee?” Santa Cruz said. “That’s what we’re looking at. We’re here to win it all, and we’d like to do it this year. But we know it’s Trinity League football, so our plan is to attack, go for it, swing for the fences and do the actual physical and mental work that gives you a chance to do it.”

It’s part of the reason Santa Cruz took the job.

Coming in from the college ranks, Santa Cruz was more than familiar with Trinity League football when he recruited the area. Santa Cruz was most recently the defensive coordinator at the University of Hawaii following 15 years as the head coach of Azusa Pacific University.

The high standard that the Trinity League necessitates, along with the culture and aims of the JSerra administration, made the job an easy sell for Santa Cruz.

“That’s why I enjoy being here at a Trinity school and why I really investigated the opportunity,” Santa Cruz said. “I’ve got the ultimate respect for high school coaches, because it’s such a critical time of life that you need good mentors. With the Trinity League, the competition is every day, and I like that. When you recruited these schools, you just knew there was a high commitment to having a great football program.”

What Santa Cruz is taking over is a program that surprised many with its competitive run in the Trinity League and a CIF-SS playoff win over a league opponent and has plenty of growth potential.

An immediate spot for growth is on offense, as San Juan Hills transfer Michael “Butter” Tollefson comes in for his junior season.

Tollefson, an Arizona State commit with 23 Division 1 college offers, is set to be the starter over returning senior Zander Singh, who completed just under 50% of his passes last season but did enough to help guide JSerra into the playoffs.

“When you have more competition inside your roster, that helps everybody elevate. Rising tide lifts all boats, and that’s really happened,” Santa Cruz said. “Zander is a veteran with wins under his belt. I respect the heck out of him. I know he’ll be a great contributor for

JSerra football looks to build on last year’s late-season success with a new head coach and impact transfers on both sides of the ball.

JSERRA CATHOLIC SCHEDULE

AUGUST 18

SIERRA CANYON

Sierra Canyon HS, 7 p.m.

•••

AUGUST 25

AQUINAS JSCHS, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 1

CHAMINADE JSCHS, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 8

NOTRE DAME (SO) JSCHS, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 15

CLOVIS NORTH

Clovis Buchanan HS, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 29

ORANGE LUTHERAN*

us. Butter is just a different athlete in his own right.”

Tollefson is a dual threat in the backfield who started as a freshman and a sophomore at San Juan Hills. Last season, Tollefson completed over 52% of his passes for 1,567 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions and ran for another 644 yards and nine touchdowns. It was a slight slip in statistics from his freshman year, as the Stallions started 0-7.

However, Santa Cruz sees it all as part of the growth process for the talented young signal-caller.

“I think what’s happened in this age of what

recruiting has become, I think what everybody forgot, was that high schoolers are going through a radical developmental process from freshman to senior year. So, from sophomore to junior, it’s so critical.”

Tollefson will be aided by returning starting running back George Perez, who ran for 776 yards on 176 carries with seven touchdowns in his sophomore season. Junior receiver Logan Christensen and Brett DeBergh will also be attractive targets in this new offense. Jake Flores, a 6-foot-6 junior lineman with 19 Division 1 college offers, leads the group up front.

JSerra’s defense is what sparked the Lions at the end of the season with a shutout against Servite and game-changing plays in the finale over Orange Lutheran and the playoffs over Santa Margarita. It was the first time JSerra won back-to-back Trinity League games or a playoff game since 2018.

Jack Munro, Clarence Chaney, Luke Webb and Christensen lead the defensive returners, along with Cathedral Catholic transfer junior Madden Faraimo—a four-star linebacker who has 19 Division 1 college offers, including Alabama.

It’s early, but Santa Cruz and his group of Lions are taking their first steps to program-defining success.

JSCHS, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 6

MATER DEI*

Santa Ana Bowl, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 13

SANTA MARGARITA* JSCHS, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 20

ST. JOHN BOSCO* JSCHS, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 27

SERVITE*

Cerritos College, 7 p.m.

*- Trinity League game

“I think what people are starting to understand, culturally-wise, we’re at a place where we say we’re building champions while pursuing championships,” Santa Cruz said. “We hired to that. We really mean that. It’s what our players see every day when they come to work here. They’re surrounded by great mentors.”

JSERRA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

Photos: Zach Cavanagh

ST. MARGARET’S KEEPS GOALS HIGH, LOOKS TO EXPAND WITH NEW COACH O’SHEA

BY ZACH CAVANAGH

For the St. Margaret’s football program, being a small school doesn’t mean having small goals, and the 2023 Tartans have their sights set on bigger and better with new head coach Dan O’Shea.

O’Shea comes to St. Margaret’s with plenty of high-level pedigree in Orange County football, including a 2019 state championship and an 80-18 mark in eight seasons at his previous position as head coach at Corona del Mar High.

O’Shea is more than familiar with the long history of athletic success at St. Margaret’s— his wife works on the academic side of the school, and they have two children in the elementary school. O’Shea aims to bring the Tartans back to that championship level and expand the program.

“I could not be more happy,” O’Shea said. “It was an opportunity to come where my family is, a school I’ve been a part of the past eight years, knowing the storied history of this particular program and its success over the years. We’re just so interested in not only establishing a competitive, hard-working, disciplined and fundamental team, but building the numbers. That’s our No. 1 priority. We’ve had a wonderful opportunity building with our youth program so far.”

O’Shea can take a pretty good swing at

success in his first year, thanks to much of the returning talent.

That starts with returning senior quarterback Max Ruff, who threw for 2,356 yards and 26 touchdowns with a 61% completion rate last season. The three-star signal-caller will take the reins of a spread offense under former San Clemente offensive coordinator Brandon Camarillo.

“We installed a new offense, asking the quarterback to be the triggerman for this,” O’Shea said. “Not only making the line calls, but getting everybody in the right place for perfect execution. His ability to process information is as good as it gets.”

Ruff will have plenty of options to spread the ball around with returning junior wide receivers Maverick Young and Will Viola and the emergence of senior tight end Russell Frye. Frye has made his name at St. Margaret’s on the basketball and volleyball courts, but now his 6-foot-4, 187-pound frame transitions over to football for a strong over-the-middle option for Ruff.

“What an amazing athlete,” O’Shea said. “He’s just got natural gifts—certainly the ability to run and catch the football, but what we’re most impressed by is how physical he is in the run game and as an in-line tight end blocking.”

O’Shea initially made his mark at Corona del Mar on the defensive side of the ball, when the Sea Kings won three CIF-SS championships with O’Shea as the defensive coordinator. The new Tartans coach likes the back seven of his new defense.

St. Margaret’s has experience from the linebackers with Battle Gideons, Chase Springer and Jack Klausner and in the secondary with returning starters Luke

ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL SCHEDULE

AUGUST 18

ONTARIO CHRISTIAN SMES, 7 p.m.

•••

AUGUST 25

WESTERN Western HS, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 1

CVCS

Saddleback College, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 8

JOHN MUIR

John Muir HS, 7 p.m.

•••

Newman, Sebastian Salazar and Drew Otto. Gideons was the team’s second-leading tackler as a junior with 93 tackles, and Salazar was fourth with 56 tackles as a freshman.

O’Shea has been impressed with his returning talent through his first summer with the group, but with lofty goals, his main focus is building out the depth of the roster to have a complete unit that can compete deep into November.

“I’m really comfortable with our returning guys who have a lot of snaps,” O’Shea said. “What we want to do in the early going is especially develop our young guys and our depth. Our goal is to play for 16 weeks, and to do that, we need the young guys to develop. And to establish a frosh/soph program, which they haven’t had here in three years.”

St. Margaret’s had to make a late charge in league play to earn the Orange Coast League’s final playoff spot, and as the top of the league remains strong with the likes of Orange and Santa Ana, the Tartans will again have to slug it out in the public-school league.

However, O’Shea has the know-how and the energy to keep pushing this St. Margaret’s program higher and past the challenges it faces.

SEPTEMBER 14

SANTA ANA*

Santa Ana Bowl, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 22

ORANGE*

El Modena HS, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 29

ESTANCIA*

SMES, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 13

COSTA MESA*

SMES, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 20

SADDLEBACK*

Saddleback HS, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 27

CALVARY CHAPEL*

SMES, 7 p.m.

*Orange Coast League game

St. Margaret’s is under new management with head coach Dan O’Shea, but the Tartans’ goals remain high as the former Corona del Mar coach looks to push them forward.

Photo: Zach Cavanagh

CAPO VALLEY CHRISTIAN HOPES FOR FORTITUDE TO SUSTAIN PLAYOFF RUN

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

By all accounts, Capistrano Valley Christian enjoyed an overall successful season in 2022, going 8-1 during the regular season with impressive numbers, to boot.

However, the Eagles saw their campaign end earlier than they would’ve liked when they fell by nine points to Chino in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 11 playoffs. Now, after graduating Logan Kelly, a playmaker on both sides of the ball, and a versatile offensive threat in Hayden Carlson, it’s time for veteran leaders to solidify their impact.

Senior J.P. Synnott is one such player, who’s back for more after rushing for 868 yards and 14 scores last year.

He joins junior quarterback Nate Richie and senior defensive linemen Jack Gallo and Kelly Glover as those who are expected to carry the mantle for the Eagles as they look to venture further into the playoffs.

Synnott dove headfirst into bettering his body for the upcoming year, focusing on his nutrition and adding 20 pounds of muscle to his frame.

“I’ve definitely spent more time with our running backs coach (studying) blitz pick-up, because that’s something I struggled with last year,” he added.

Additionally, he’s had help from Carlson, now a baseball player at Indiana University, in improving his leadership skills.

In terms of other impact players, head coach Eric Preszler singled out his defensive line

group as a strength.

The rotation includes Gallo, Glover and sophomore Benji Makelela, who arrived at CVCS having never played a snap of football before. Makelela now stands 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, with potential to play at the NCAA Division 1 level, according to his coach.

Preszler also mentioned Richie, a third-year starter who has earned command of the offense.

“His talent, his ability to throw, his mechanics have been good since he was a freshman,” Preszler said. “But I think his understanding of what we’re doing and his level of physical and mental toughness has really grown.”

Beyond the standouts, many factors on the field remain to be determined, as is so often the case with small-school rosters.

Every team has its own culture and personality, according to Preszler, something he’s learned in two decades of coaching football and basketball.

He added the importance of coming together as a whole, a sentiment with which his players seem to be on the same page.

This year, the Eagles must avoid fatigue down the stretch, Preszler said, which can be a consequence of putting a roster of three dozen against significantly larger public schools.

CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHEDULE

AUGUST 24

CALVARY CHAPEL

Saddleback College, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 1

ST. MARGARET’S

Saddleback College, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 7

EL SEGUNDO

Saddleback College, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 15

SANTA ROSA ACADEMY

Santa Rosa Academy, 7 p.m.

•••

SEPTEMBER 30

LINFIELD CHRISTIAN*

Linfield Christian, 7 p.m.

•••

“We’ve got to learn how to fight through that adversity and be able to overcome the fact that we’re not going to have as many guys on our team,” he said. “(We have to) work harder than everybody else does so that we’re in better shape when we have guys playing three ways.”

CVCS will look to start 2023 on the right foot on Thursday, Aug. 24, when it hosts Calvary Chapel at Saddleback College.

Preszler also highlighted the Sept. 30 matchup against league foe Linfield Christian, a competitive program that’s earned his respect. The Eagles edged the Lions last season, 29-26, in one of only three games on CVCS’ schedule that ended with a margin of victory of nine points or fewer.

That those close battles come so few and far between puts a premium on learning whatever lessons reviewing those games may present.

“It comes down to situational football, right?” said Preszler. “When you’re playing teams that are (of) similar abilities and levels as you, then you’ve got to execute in crucial

OCTOBER 7

WESTERN CHRISTIAN*

Saddleback College, 1 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 13

RIVERSIDE PREP*

Aliso Niguel HS, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 21

TRINITY CLASSICAL*

Valencia HS, 7 p.m.

•••

OCTOBER 26

ARROWHEAD CHRISTIAN*

San Gorgonio HS, 7 p.m.

*- Mesquite League game

moments.”

The Eagles kick off 2023 with three consecutive home games, including a renewed rivalry with St. Margaret’s on Friday, Sept. 1, at Saddleback College.

Capistrano Valley Christian looks to use a talented offensive backfield and stout defensive front to propel the Eagles past the first round of the playoffs. Photos: Zach Cavanagh

CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN

Four Players to Watch OFFENSE

SULLIVAN LAND SAN JUAN HILLS

RB, Sr.

Land was named the Sea View League’s offensive MVP last season as he hit a roll in league play. Land rushed for over 90 yards in each league game and in the Stallions’ playoff opener. The senior will be leaned on early as San Juan Hills works in its new starting quarterbacks.

JAKE FLORES JSERRA

OL, Jr.

Flores is a force on the front lines of a JSerra offense that looks to raise its level this season. Flores is 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds at the tackle spot and already has 20 Division 1 college offers, including USC, Oregon, Oklahoma, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee and Florida State.

MAX RUFF ST. MARGARET’S QB, Sr.

Ruff was polished in his junior season, completing over 60% of his passes for 2,356 yards and 26 touchdowns. As the threestar signal-caller enters his senior year, Ruff could see even more production with a spread offense and new weapons. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback will be in full control.

JP SYNNOTT CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN RB, Sr.

Synnott came into his own last season with an explosive ground game, averaging over seven yards per carry with 868 yards and 14 touchdowns. The senior will again be key to the balance of the Capistrano Valley Christian offense as he steps into the role of lead playmaker.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ZACH CAVANAGH

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ZACH CAVANAGH

JAKE JAVORSKY

SAN JUAN HILLS

LB, Sr.

Javorsky hasn’t grabbed as many headlines as his junior linebacking counterpart Weston Port, but the senior has been integral to the Stallions’ defensive success. The 6-foot, 215-pound middle linebacker led San Juan Hills with 129 tackles and was the Sea View League defensive player of the year last season.

JACK MUNRO JSERRA

LB, Sr.

JSerra’s defense elevated the Lions in league play to the CIF-SS playoffs and into the second round, and Munro was in the middle of that late-season effort. As a junior, the 6-foot, 200-pound backer racked up 33 tackles last season and returned a pick-six in JSerra’s playoff berth-clinching season finale.

BATTLE GIDEONS

ST. MARGARET’S LB, Jr.

Gideons took a major step up in his junior season with 93 total tackles, second on the team, including 45 solo tackles, a teamhigh. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker also contributed 1½ sacks. Gideons will command the middle of the Tartans’ defense, as well as get some carries on offense.

KELLY GLOVER

CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN DL, Sr.

Capistrano Valley Christian’s defense was spurred by its line pressure last season with 23 sacks in 10 games, and while the Eagles lose some of that production to graduation, Glover steps in to lead the group. The 6-foot4, 235-pound senior contributed two sacks and 33 tackles last season.